There were no plans in her near future that involved her own death. And if these men were who she believed them to be, Braddock nor his teammates would end her life without at least offering up a warning.
Not if things went according to plan, that is. But that was, of course, a very,verybig if.
The American’s booted steps grew closer and closer. Kaamisha’s palms grew sweaty, but she ignored the nervous sensation and remained focused on the plan.
Braddock passed by the spot where she was hidden, his movements slowing slightly as he continued searching for her. She closed her eyes, sending up a hastened prayer to Allah, and then Kaamisha slowly and cautiously stepped back out into the alley.
Her eyes zeroed in on his back as he walked slowly in the center of the rough and dirty path. The former SEAL appeared even taller than he’d seemed from afar, and there was visible tension in his broad, leather clad shoulders.
She moved with slow, careful steps as he looked around at the part of the alley that lay before him. It was clear to her that he was listening intently to whoever was on the other end of the call.
His mistake.
With his focus split between the conversation and his search, Kaamisha was given the perfect opportunity to gain the element of surprise. After another rushed prayer and her sweet mother’s smiling face filling her mind’s eye, she held her breaths still and the knife tightly within her fist.
The sound of an approaching vehicle came from the endof the alley both she and Braddock were facing. This was it. Her one and only chance to finally make things right. So with nothing more to lose, other than her own life, she put the next stage of her plan into motion.
Kaamisha closed the distance between them and raised the knife high in the air. The man was so distracted by both the call and his unyielding search, he didn’t notice her until it was too late.
Her left arm wrapped around the front of his chest as she pressed the blade of the knife against his throat with her other hand. The front of her body became flush with his back, and he froze beneath her threatening hold.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Donovan Braddock.” Kaamisha kept her voice low as her lips moved just shy of touching the skin at the side of his neck.
The man froze beneath her threatening touch, his deep rumble reverberating from his body into hers. “Guess I found you…Kaamisha.”
Her heart kicked against her ribs at the sound of her name falling from his scruff-lined lips as his spicy male scent consumed her sense of smell. Kaamisha’s lower belly clenched with a sudden, unexplained tingle, but she ignored her body’s inexplicable response to this man and released a feathery laugh.
With carefully added pressure placed behind the knife’s sharp blade, she whispered back, “You and your team may have been looking for me, Navy SEAL. But guess what? I have been looking for you, too.”
CHAPTER 1
Van remained as stillas a statue to avoid having his throat sliced open from the woman’s deadly blade. Later—and in private—he’d berate himself for having made such a dumbass rookie mistake as to let his target get the upper hand.
For now, however…
Moving with lightning speed, Van kept his arms close to his chest as he brought them up toward her arm and wrist. Using both of his hands, he gave a hard yank, forcing the knife-wielding hand down and to the left.
As designed, the move forced the weapon away from his throat, rather than doing the job for her and moving in a way its sharp blade would slice across his skin. On a normal day, Van would have immediately turned and driven the blade deep into his attacker’s side.
But this day was anything but normal, and this particular attacker had answers to questions he and his team had been asking for years.
Giving a careful, yet forceful, twisting of her wrist, the Dawari woman cried out as her grip involuntarily loosened.The weapon fell from her hand, clattering to the ground below, and with one of his booted feet, Van kicked the knife far out of reach.
It skidded across the ground before stopping several feet from where they stood. At the same time, he easily regained control of the situation by forcing her body around so that he was the one behind her.
Keeping his tone low and controlled, he placed the woman in an offensive hold he’d used a hundred times before. Forcing himself to refrain from breaking the murdering bitch’s neck, he growled out a low, “Nice try, Miss Dawari. But it will be a cold day in hell before I let you take another American life.”
Even mine.
“I’m not…the killer.” Her fingers went to the part of his arm pressing against the front of her throat. “That…w-would be…y-you.”
Part of what she’d said was true. Hewasa killer. It was a fact he’d never denied. But hearing the woman’s false claim about herself made him wish like hell they didn’t need to bring her in alive.
Not a killer my ass.
According to the intel they’d been given, Kaamisha Dawari was the one responsible for the attack on his former SEAL unit three years earlier.
During the ambush, their teammate and friend, Hunter Garrison, took a bullet to the neck. The wound proved fatal, and despite their team leader’s valiant efforts, Hunt died on the side of that Godforsaken mountain.
